Curtsies & Conspiracies: Event Recap & Signed Series Giveaway!

Recently I was lucky enough to attend a great event at Copperfields Books

in Petaluma, CA for author Gail Carriger, on tour to present Curtsies and Conspiracies to the world!  First I want to tell you all, if this author comes anywhere near your town, definitely don’t miss the chance to see her! She is such a great author to meet and hear speak about her writing.  She loves to entertain and it shows.  The second she walks into the room, she makes an impact with her adorable outfits (I’ve actually met her twice and both times she was dress to the nines in such chic retro dresses!)   Plus her books have a huge dedicated fan base, so you’ll often spot a few event-goers in full steampunk costumes!

The event was kicked off with pizza and red vines and we were all treated to the book’s awesome trailer played on a very antique looking movie projector screen.  Gail went on to tell a little bit about Cursties & Conspiracies and then opened the floor for questions.   She let us in on lots of fun facts and talked about her writerly ways.  When asked the classic “where do you get your ideas from” question (I think I’ve heard this question at every author event I’ve ever attended) she had the whole room laughing with her answer:  “My ass. If I sit on it long enough the stories ideas will come!”  Then she got serious and told us how small ideas grow and grow with a lot of “what if’s” and how worlds are built from being shaped around smaller details and what she called “thought experiments”.  I personally love the steampunk worlds she has created so it was fascinating to hear about her creative process.  She also mentioned that she loves Tamara Pierce---her desert island book is The Forgotten Beast of Eld---but that she doesn’t read anything but non-fiction when she’s writing.

She shared so much great insight on her books!  If you happen to be a fan of her adult series, The Parasol Protectorate, apparently the Finishing School is about the same world several years earlier.   A few characters from one can be spotted in the other, and she had so much fun dropping in little “cookies” for readers of both series to pick up on.   She definitely made me want to go back and read her first series!  Especially when she said that one setting in her third book, Blameless, is in Egypt and was her first excavation site when she was an archeologist!  I’m a sucker for little details like that!

When asked about the writing style and the language in the books, she answered that they are a fun gentle parody of Victorian times and language.  I heartily agreed with that---I love the liveliness of her writing and how readable and hilarious it all is for an era that is known for its propriety and manners.

There are two more books to come in the Finishing School series! They will be Waistcoats & Weaponry in 2014 and Manner & Mutiny in 2015.  Also, another adult series in this same world is in the works based on one of the characters from the Parasol Protectorate! Prudence will be out October 2015 (Gail says it must face a few rewrites because it’s just not funny enough yet!)


Definitely a fantastic author to see if you ever get the chance.  But wait…see what Gail is doing right here?? She is signing gorgeous copies of her book.  And guess what?  I got two extra signed copies for one lucky winner!!

 Enter below to win a signed paperback of Etiquette & Espionage and a signed ARC of Curtsies & Conspiracies!!

•US mailing addresses only
•Must be 13 or older
•Ends 12/26/13

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